Strapless ski pole grip

ABSTRACT

A strapless ski pole grip includes a generally cylindrical body having an axial bore for receiving the shaft of a ski pole. The ends of the cylindrical body have integral fingers which project outwardly and sideways to press against a skier&#39;&#39;s hand between the hand knuckles and the first finger joints. The lateral extents of the fingers form rigid supporting platforms for the top and bottoms of a skier&#39;&#39;s hand. At least one finger is resilient and moves sideways when the ski pole becomes captured to allow sliding withdrawal of the skier&#39;&#39;s hand.

United States Patent 1191 Tobin 1 Apr. 29, 11975 1 1 STRAPLESS SKI POLEGRIP [75] Inventor: James E. Tobin, Ketchum, Idaho [73] Assignee: ScottUSA, Sun Valley. Idaho [22] Filed: Aug. 27, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 391,690

[52] 11.5. C1 28()/11.37 11; 135/51 [51] int. Cl A63c 11/22 [58] Fieldof Search 280/1137 H, 11.37 D;

224/45 P, 45 S; 135/45 R, 51; 30/340, 125

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,436,090 4/1969 Langc eta1. 280/1137 H 3,479,045 11/1969 Miller 280/1137 H 3,565,451 2/1971Giamhazi 280/1137 H FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,369,228 6/1964France 280/1137 H Primary [iraminew-David Schonberg AssistantE.\'uminer-David M. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or FirmHofgren, Wegner,Allen, Stellman & McCord [57] ABSTRACT A strapless ski pole gripincludes a generally cylindrical body having an axial bore for receivingthe shaft of a ski pole. The ends of the cylindrical body have integrailfingers which project outwardly and sideways to press against a skiershand between the hand knuckles and the first finger joints. The lateralextents of the fingers form rigid supporting platforms for the top andbottoms of a skiers hand. At least one finger is resilient and movessideways when the ski pole becomes captured to allow sliding withdrawalof the skiers hand.

15 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures STRAPLESS SKI POLE GRIP BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to a strapless ski pole grip whichallows emergency release ofa skiers hand, while also providingsufficient support during normal skiing conditions.

When a ski pole becomes captured in use, as by the basket becomingsnagged on an object, conventional retention straps will bind the skiershand to the captured ski pole and 'may create a serious injury. Toobviate this problem, strapless ski pole grips have been developed, suchas shown in US. Pat. No. 3,479,045 to Miller. Such a strapless gripincludes one or more projections which overlie a small portion of theskiers hand to provide support therefore.

Unfortunately, the projections of known strapless grips provide minimalretention characteristics and sudden. but not uncommon, forces may causethe skier to lose his grip and hence the ski pole. For example, in someski conditions which create sticky snow, the normally smooth upwardrelease of the ski pole tip out of the snow may be prevented, producinga jerk as the skier lifts his hand upwardly. Since strapless ski polegrips have an upper resilient finger with a substantial upward movement,the unexpected jerk may pull the ski pole out of the skier's hand.

To overcome these problems, some ski pole grips use a quick-release typestrap which does not have to be looped around the skiers wrist.Generally, the strap extends across the length of the body of the gripand forms a channel for the skiers hand. For example, in US. Pat. No.3,565,451 to Giambazi, the strap includes a buckle which tightens thestrap against the skiers hand. between the hand knuckles and the firstfinger joints, sufficient to prevent inadvertent release of the skipole. Unfortunately, the retention strap still binds the skiers hand tothe ski pole and during some emergency situations, the skiers hand maynot be released.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, animproved ski pole grip overcomes all of the above noted disadvantages ofprior strapless grips and prior grips with quick-release type straps.For maximum safety in emergency situations, the retention strap isentirely eliminated. The grip uses a pair of projecting fingers whichdefine a channel for retaining the skiers hand.

During use, the lateral portions of the fingers form rigid upper andlower platforms for supporting the top and bottom of the skiers hand,regardless of the pressures exerted parallel with the ski pole axis.During an emergency situation, in which the ski pole becomes captured,the body of the skier will continue to move until the skiers arm isoutstretched. One of the fingers will then move sideways. opening thechannel and allowing sliding release of the skiers hand. As a result,the ski pole grip provides for emergency release while also providingfor rigid support in the axial direction along which normal skiingforces are exerted.

One object of this invention is the provision of a strapless ski polegrip which provides adequate support and retention of a skiers hand eventhough the skier relaxes his grip, and which releases the hand quicklyin the event of an emergency situation.

Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and from the drawings. While an illustrativeembodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and will bedescribed in detail herein, the invention is susceptible of embodimentin many difierent forms and it should be understood that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principlesof the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to theembodiment illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of thenovel strapless ski pole grip being held by a skiers hand;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the strapless ski pole grip of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 5 is a side view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the side movement ofthe upper finger in order to open the channel and allow sliding releaseof a skiers hand.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, astrapless ski pole grip is illustrated which includes an elongated,generally cylindrical body 10 having an axial bore 12 for receiving theshaft 14 of a ski pole. The bore 12 extends along a substantial lengthof the body 10 and is coaxial with the ski pole shaft 14. Integral withbody 10 and extending from the ends thereof are an upper projectingfinger 20 and a lower projecting finger 22. As seen in FIG. 1, the pairof fingers 20 and 22 are located to press against the gloved fingers ofa skiers hand 24, between the hand knuckles 26 and the first fingerjoints 28. The skier's thumb 30 extends around the opposite side of thebody 10 to allow the skiers hand to firmly grasp the grip.

Upper projecting finger 20 has a relatively thick lateral section 34which extends outward a sufficient distance to clear the gloved hand ofthe skier. At the end of the lateral section, the finger curvesdownwardly and forms an axial or side section 36 which extends parallelto and offset from the center axis of body 10. The axial section 36preferably extends below the midpoint of the body 10, that is, the axialsection 36 has a length greater than the majority of the length of thechannel.

Lower projecting finger 22 has a relatively thick lateral section 38which smoothly curves into an uptuned angulated section 40 which isspaced from side section 36 by a gap 46. The axis of side section 36 andthe axis of angulated section 40 are coplanar and intersect the centeraxis of cylindrical body 10. The axis of side section 36 intersects thelower finger 22, and defines an open channel 50 generally locatedbetween the cylindrical body 10 and the side fingers 20. The width ofthe channel 50 is made approximately equal to the width of the glovedhand.

Along cylindrical body 10, a series of ridges 44, oval cross-section,define therebetween a series of valleys for receiving the four fingersof the skiers hand. When the skier is properly holding the grip, as seenin FIG. 1, the fingers 20 and 22 press against the skiers fingersbetween the hand knuckles 26 and the first finger joints 28. At thistime, the major axis of the ridges 44 extends forwardly. As can be seenin FIGS. 3 and 4, the major axis of ridges 44 is approximately at a 45angle with respect to the center axis of the fingers 20 and 22. The skipole grip shown in FIGS. 1-5 is designed for the left hand of the skier,and it will be appreciated that a separate ski pole grip is provided forthe right hand of a skier. In such a right hand grip, the fingers and 22would also be at an angle of approximately 45 with a major axis of theridges 44, but would be located on the opposite side of the major axisvThe ski pole grip may be molded from PVC material having a durometerreading of approximately 75 to 85. The hardness and dimensions areselected so that the pair of fingers 20 and 22 are resilient, and thesections 36 and 40 can flex or bend. However, the lateral sections 34and 38 are formed to be rigid in order to respectively define top andbottom platforms for supporting the skiers hand.

To grasp the ski pole, the skier inserts four fingers through thechannel 50 and wraps his thumb around the opposite side of the body 10,as shown in FIG. 1. In this position, the inner surface of upper finger20 presses gently against the skiers gloved fingers, between the handknuckles 26 and the first finger joints 28. The pair of projectingfingers 20 and 22 form a retention system which maintains the ski polein the skiers hand, even though he loosens his grip.

During an emergency situation, as when the ski pole becomes captured byan object, the skiers hand is pulled rearwardly, as the ski pole rotatesabout the shaft 14. The side section 36 of upper finger 20 is deflectedto the side along a lateral axis 52, as seen in FIG. 5, opening thechannel 50. This allows the skiers four fingers to readily slide out ofthe channel. The upper finger 20 is constructed to have a substantialside movement and little upward movement, to prevent inadvertent releaseunder normal skiing conditions. Generally, sliding release of the handwill occur only when ski pole has been captured on an obstacle. Forother conditions including large downward and upward pressures, thefingers 20 and 22 serve as rigid platforms which support the upper andlower sides of the skiers hand.

Various modifications may be made to the illustrated strapless ski polegrip, following the above teachings. Generally, the length of gap 46 isnot critical. Preferably, the gap 46 should not be lengthened to anappreciable extent, as this would reduce the retention capabilitiesproduced by the overlying finger 20. While the release finger 20 hasbeen illustrated as being the upper finger, the positions of the upperand lower fingers could be reversed. As another modification, the upperfinger 20 and the lower finger 22 could be made substantially the samelength, and define therebetween a gap located at the mid-point of theski grip. In such a case, both the upper and lower fingers would be usedto press against the skiers hand.

I claim:

1. A strapless ski pole grip, comprising:

an elongated body member having an axial bore for receiving the shaft ofa ski pole and a grip section for containing the fingers of the skiershand,

a resilient projection having a lateral section extending outwardly fromone end of said body member and an axial section extending generallyperpendicular to the lateral section and generally parallel with theaxial bore,

said lateral and axial sections defining with said body member a channelfor containing a skiers hand when grasping the elongated body member,

the axial section being adjacent the skiers hand with a lengthcorresponding to at least the majority of the length of the grip sectionand of resilient structure which presses against the skiers hand toretain the skiers hand even when the skier is not firmly grasping thebody member, and the resilient structure of the axial section having aresiliency to deflect and release the skiers hand when the ski polebecomes trapped during use.

2. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 1 wherein said projectionextends from said body member so that the axial section is adjacent thefingers of the skiers hand, between the hand knuckles and first fingerjoints, when the skiers hand is gripping the elongated body member.

3. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 2 wherein the grip section ofsaid elongated body member includes a plurality of ridges which extendlaterally from the body member to define valleys for containing thefingers of the skiers hand, said elongated body member having agenerally oval transverse cross-section through the ridges with a majoraxis located at an angle approximately 45 with a plane containing theaxial section and the axial bore.

4. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 1 including a second projectionhaving a section extending outwardly from an opposite end of said bodymember and terminating adjacent the axial section of the first namedresilient projection.

5. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 4 wherein the lateral section ofthe first named resilient peojection and a lateral part of the secondprojection are both substantially rigid to form upper and lowerplatforms for supporting the skiers hand, said axial section deflectingsubstantially sideways to open the channel and allow sliding release ofthe skiers hand.

6. A strapless ski pole grip, comprising:

a generally cylindrical body member having a pair of ends which extendbeyond a skiers hand when gripping the body member,

a pair of fingers extending outwardly from the pair of ends of the bodymember with both pairs of fingers being located in a common plane withthe body member,

the pair of fingers having configurations which curve toward each otherand terminate at ends which define therebetween a gap of a length lessthan the combined length of the pair of fingers, the gap and at leastone of the pair of fingers being substantially located along a commonaxis offset and parallel with the generally cylindrical member, and theat least one finger being of resilient structure to press against theskiers hand.

7. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 6 wherein the pair of fingersboth have substantially rigid sections adjacent and contiguous with thecylindrical body member to form upper and lower platforms for rigidsupport of the upper and lower portions of a skiers hand.

8. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 7 wherein the at least onefinger includes a contiguous axial section located along the commonaxis, said axial section having a configuration to deflect away fromsaid body member to allow release of the skiers hand.

9. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 8 wherein the axial sectionpresses against the skiers fingers between the hand knuckles and thefirst finger joints.

it). The strapless ski pole grip of claim 6 wherein one of said pair offingers has a length substantially longer than the length of the otherof the pair of fingers to cause the gap to be located near one end ofthe body member.

H. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 10 wherein said one of said pairof fingers comprises the upper finger adjacent the top end of the bodymember, said gap being located below the mid-point of the body memberand generally adjacent the third and fourth fingers of the skiers handwhen gripping the body member.

12. A strapless ski pole grip. comprising:

an elongated body member having an axial bore for receiving the shaft ofa ski pole,

said body member terminating in upper and lower projections which extendoutwardly from the body member and form rigid upper and lower platformsfor supporting the upper and lower portions of a skiers hand whengrasping the elongated body member,

at least one of said projections having an integral side finger whichextends to beyond the mid-point of the elongated body member and isgenerally parallel to and offset from the axis of the elongated bodymember, said side finger being adjacent the skiers hand when graspingthe body member,

said side finger being resilient for sideways movement away from thebody member to allow sliding release of the skiers hand while the rigidupper and lower platforms prevent axial release of the skiers hand.

13. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 12 wherein said body member andsaid projections are formed of plastic having an resiliency to allowsubstantial side movement of said side finger and to prevent anysubstantial axial movement of the upper and lower platforms.

14. The strapless ski pole grip of claim l2 wherein the projectionopposite the projection having the integral side finger has an endcurving toward and terminating near the side finger to definetherebetween a gap, said side finger and said curving end being locatedin a common plane generally coaxial with the axial bore.

15. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 12 wherein the side finger isof resilient structure which gently presses against the skiers fingersbetween the hand knuckles and the first finger joints when the skiershand is grasping the body member.

1. A strapless ski pole grip, comprising: an elongated body memberhaving an axial bore for receiving the shaft of a ski pole and a gripsection for containing the fingers of the skier''s hand, a resilientprojection having a lateral section extending outwardly from one end ofsaid body member and an axial section extending generally perpendicularto the lateral section and generally parallel with the axial bore, saidlateral and axial sections defining with said body member a channel forcontaining a skier''s hand when grasping the elongated body member, theaxial section being adjacent the skier''s hand with a lengthcorresponding to at least the majority of the length of the grip sectionand of resilient structure which presses against the skier''s hand toretain the skier''s hand even when the skier is not firmly grasping thebody member, and the resilient structure of the axial section having aresiliency to deflect and release the skier''s hand when the ski polebecomes trapped during use.
 2. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 1wherein said projection extends from said body member so that the axialsection is adjacent the fingers of the skier''s hand, between the handknuckles and first finger joints, when the skier''s hand is gripping theeLongated body member.
 3. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 2 whereinthe grip section of said elongated body member includes a plurality ofridges which extend laterally from the body member to define valleys forcontaining the fingers of the skier''s hand, said elongated body memberhaving a generally oval transverse cross-section through the ridges witha major axis located at an angle approximately 45* with a planecontaining the axial section and the axial bore.
 4. The strapless skipole grip of claim 1 including a second projection having a sectionextending outwardly from an opposite end of said body member andterminating adjacent the axial section of the first named resilientprojection.
 5. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 4 wherein thelateral section of the first named resilient peojection and a lateralpart of the second projection are both substantially rigid to form upperand lower platforms for supporting the skier''s hand, said axial sectiondeflecting substantially sideways to open the channel and allow slidingrelease of the skier''s hand.
 6. A strapless ski pole grip, comprising:a generally cylindrical body member having a pair of ends which extendbeyond a skier''s hand when gripping the body member, a pair of fingersextending outwardly from the pair of ends of the body member with bothpairs of fingers being located in a common plane with the body member,the pair of fingers having configurations which curve toward each otherand terminate at ends which define therebetween a gap of a length lessthan the combined length of the pair of fingers, the gap and at leastone of the pair of fingers being substantially located along a commonaxis offset and parallel with the generally cylindrical member, and theat least one finger being of resilient structure to press against theskier''s hand.
 7. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 6 wherein thepair of fingers both have substantially rigid sections adjacent andcontiguous with the cylindrical body member to form upper and lowerplatforms for rigid support of the upper and lower portions of askier''s hand.
 8. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 7 wherein the atleast one finger includes a contiguous axial section located along thecommon axis, said axial section having a configuration to deflect awayfrom said body member to allow release of the skier''s hand.
 9. Thestrapless ski pole grip of claim 8 wherein the axial section pressesagainst the skier''s fingers between the hand knuckles and the firstfinger joints.
 10. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 6 wherein one ofsaid pair of fingers has a length substantially longer than the lengthof the other of the pair of fingers to cause the gap to be located nearone end of the body member.
 11. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 10wherein said one of said pair of fingers comprises the upper fingeradjacent the top end of the body member, said gap being located belowthe mid-point of the body member and generally adjacent the third andfourth fingers of the skier''s hand when gripping the body member.
 12. Astrapless ski pole grip, comprising: an elongated body member having anaxial bore for receiving the shaft of a ski pole, said body memberterminating in upper and lower projections which extend outwardly fromthe body member and form rigid upper and lower platforms for supportingthe upper and lower portions of a skier''s hand when grasping theelongated body member, at least one of said projections having anintegral side finger which extends to beyond the mid-point of theelongated body member and is generally parallel to and offset from theaxis of the elongated body member, said side finger being adjacent theskier''s hand when grasping the body member, said side finger beingresilient for sideways movement away from the body member to allowsliding release of the skier''s hand while the rigid upper and lowerplatforms prevent axial release of the skier''s hand.
 13. The straplessski pole grip of claim 12 wherein said body member and said projectionsare formed of plastic having an resiliency to allow substantial sidemovement of said side finger and to prevent any substantial axialmovement of the upper and lower platforms.
 14. The strapless ski polegrip of claim 12 wherein the projection opposite the projection havingthe integral side finger has an end curving toward and terminating nearthe side finger to define therebetween a gap, said side finger and saidcurving end being located in a common plane generally coaxial with theaxial bore.
 15. The strapless ski pole grip of claim 12 wherein the sidefinger is of resilient structure which gently presses against theskier''s fingers between the hand knuckles and the first finger jointswhen the skier''s hand is grasping the body member.